Obviously a 'quality' issue but at least it wasn't one of those collapses where the batsmen just gave the bowlers wickets. But I guess a collapse is just collapse but if I was Kiwi I would have hated to see a Brad Haddin type dismissal even more.

I haven't yet seen any of the game (am about to watch highlights) but I do get the impression that it was a superb spell by Philander. That said though, 45 all out is just ridiculous. That's one of the problems with the NZ batsmen - bowl them a decent ball and you'll get them out, because we don't have the technique to deal with it.

IMO, this is the number one reason why we are so **** at the moment - we do the basics terribly. All the good players, across all sports, do the basics exceptionally well, and that's what makes them so good. All the NZ players can do the little things - they can reverse sweep, play scoop shots, hit over cover, do diving backhand flicks in the field etc. - but while being able to do those things is good, they're the things that you might do once a game, if that. We fail at the things you need to do constantly - we can't defend, play with hard hands, fall over their front feet, hit the ball at catchable height, drop regulation catches in the slips etc etc etc.

It's one of my biggest gripes about coaching in NZ. There's a huge focus on the 1% things, and not enough on the 40% things. I've lost count of the number of team talks, coach talks etc I've had where we've been told to concentrate on the little things and then the big things will take care of themselves...it doesn't work like that. Get the basics right first.

None of that nonsense! It's like when someone tries three rainbow flicks in the first five minutes of a football game, loses the ball three times, and wonders why you've subbed him off.

Well, that makes sense, but I don't think of those things as little things - they're the fundamentals, so they're the big things.

Anyway, when summer over here starts it will be interesting to see how different it is to back home. I definitely think that we concentrate on the wrong things - I've had training sessions where we've had to do things like only hitting backward of square, yet I can't think of many where I've had to actually concentrate on building an innings, playing straight etc.

On a ground where a side scored 47 only 14 months ago (and the other side made 96) against the identical bowling line-up that caused that destruction, on a pitch that mirrors his side's greenness in terms of batting, choosing to bat first ranks as one of the most inexcusable decisions in living memory.

If you can smell the hops in Cape Town you bowl first...Brendon must've been drunk on the fumes.

I'm as disappointed in our effort as the next guy but if we were inserted on that and fell over for 45, fair enough. But we organised our own slaughter. This management group is making mistake after mistake. Any wonder with a rookie coach at the helm

On a ground where a side scored 47 only 14 months ago (and the other side made 96) against the identical bowling line-up that caused that destruction, on a pitch that mirrors his side's greenness in terms of batting, choosing to bat first ranks as one of the most inexcusable decisions in living memory.

If Graham had won the coin toss he would have elected to bat too, but also stated it will be "tough" the first session.

If Graham had won the coin toss he would have elected to bat too, but also stated it will be "tough" the first session.

Difference being SA have world-class batsmen capable of weathering the sort of stuff that was dished out in the first session. We do not.

Any little advantage we could give our bowlers, we had to take. And that's clearly going to come on the first morning. McCullum said he knew the first hour/session would be tough. I'm certain he also knows our batsmen are incapable of getting through that against a line-up of the likes of Morkel, Steyn and especially Philander on that deck. But he decided to be bullish, to our detriment. Having a bold approach to captaincy is all good but he's doing with 3-7 off suit as opposed to pocket queens, and bluffing don't work in the international cricket game.

I've heard the argument that Philander just bowled a brilliant spell and the NZ batsmen didn't give away their wickets.

Sorry, but lacking the ability to block straight deliveries (McCullum, Williamson) is poor batting. Edging to slip at a good length outside off (Franklin) when the bowler is angling across you is poor batting.

Watling and Bracewell got unplayable deliveries.

Only Flynn showed enough technique to look like being able to bat against good bowling.

Meh, reckon you bat first probably 90% of the time in cricket. Find it hard to criticise Mccullum on that front, particularly being the first test. Maybe if it was the second test after a hammering you would do it, but bowling first on the first morning is like giving up pre-series. You may as well not even turn up if you don't think you can win.